South Royalton Legal Clinic

General Program

The General Program offers a wide range of civil legal assistance, including representation in matters as varied as divorce, child support, disability, juvenile, bankruptcy, wills and guardianships, and unemployment. Two new areas involve working with prisoners on family and child support issues.

A General Program Case Story

When the fatigue started, Jane* attributed it to a warm southern climate and her challenging graduate studies in business administration. Only months before, she had shifted from a successful career in business and higher education administration to begin work on a PhD degree. As the term wore on, she found her own school work and teaching of undergraduates more and more exhausting. But she persisted-it was only a year later that she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and had to leave school.

By the time Jane applied for Social Security disability benefits, her insured period had expired and she was under significant financial strain with no resources. That's when the South Royalton Legal Clinic stepped in to represent her. The clinic's staff launched an intensive reexamination of her medical records, located her treating doctors, and received opinions that placed the onset of her disabling impairments much earlier than had first been thought-and before her insured period expired. Jane was thus entitled to disability benefits, allowing her to begin to stabilize her life and improve her economic situation.

*All client names used are pseudonyms